TINY Lucy Sheppard brought tears of joy to staff at Beaumont Hospital -- she is their first IVF baby.

Lucy is proving the perfect early Christmas present not only for proud parents, Nicola and James, but for overjoyed nurses, doctors and consultants at Bolton's private hospital.

Weighing in at an impressive 9lb, Lucy, is the first IVF baby to be born following new fertility treatment now being offered at the Chorley New Road Hospital.

Sister Freda Blackburn, who has helped the couple every step of the way, said: "Lucy is absolutely gorgeous. I got a call from James the day she was born telling me the good news.

"They feel like a part of the family. When they came in with the pram, the receptionist burst into tears. And I can't describe the feeling when I saw them wheeling Lucy down the corridor. It was so special and meant so much to everyone here.

"The treatment is a very intimate subject and you get very close to the girls. We were all in tears -- Lucy is what it is all about."

James told how they had been trying for a baby for two years without success.

But a year ago, the couple heard about Beaumont Hospital starting to carry out fertility treatments linked with Alexandra Hospital, Manchester.

James said: "We are very grateful to them. Lucy is like a little miracle to us.

"Nicola became pregnant straight away in January. We realise that we were very lucky because other couples often wait years for IVF to be a success.

"Her pregnancy was very good but Lucy had to be born by Caesarean section because she was breach. We couldn't believe it when they weighed her and she was 9lb. She is fighting fit and the love of our lives." 'Our life is complete' OVERJOYED Nicola and James Sheppard cuddle baby Lucy and admit: "our life is complete."

The young couple made Bolton medical history with the birth of their daughter -- the first IVF baby at Beaumont Hospital.

And as the proud parents cracked open a bottle of Champagne and shared it with nurses and staff from the private hospital, they said they would go through the whole process again.

"It's all definitely been worth it," said James, aged 26. "We are now a complete family. But we will not stop here. We want another one."

James and Nicola, 30, met three years ago at a pub in Westhoughton.

They enjoyed a whirlwind romance and married exactly a year later at St Bartholomew's Church, Westhoughton.

James, an electrician at Manchester Airport, said: "We decided that we really wanted children straight away. But after a year, and nothing happening, we decided to see a doctor."

The couple sought help from the NHS -- but decided to ditch the long waiting lists to see a specialist and opted for private treatment at a cost of £3,000.

"It put a dent in our bank account," James said, "but it has all been worth it."

The couple had just missed out on a free treatment offer by Beaumont Hospital as women were offered free treatment in return for a eggs. Doctors gave Nicola, an auxilliary nurse at Newlands Nursing Home, a clean bill of health, but cited James's low sperm count for the couple's inability to conceive.

Nicola had to have injections morning and night over a few months to regulate her body cycle.

Five of her eggs were fertilised in a laboratory and placed in her body during an operation at Alexandra Hospital in January.

James, of Alderton Drive, Westhoughton, said: "Nicola was over the moon to be pregnant. It is what she has always wanted for a long time.

"Not having children had started to put a strain on the relationship. Nicola became a bit edgy about not getting pregnant."

When the moment came for Lucy to be born, James described watching the Caesarean section -- performed because 9lb Lucy was breach -- as "amazing".

He added: "We are so overjoyed. Lucy is a great baby. She sleeps all the time and has doting grandparents. It really is worth all the pain and anguish that you go through. In fact, we're thinking about doing it all again.

"We'll take a little break and see how things go. If it doesn't happen naturally, then we will try IVF again. We'd recommend it to all couples who are childless. It really does make life complete." How James and Nicola conceived IN Vitro Fertilisation or IVF involves the collection of ripe oocytes from the ovary. These are then mixed with prepared sperm outside the body, and the oocytes are fertilised. An embryo is subsequently developed, and one or more (a maximum of three) is placed in the woman's uterus in the hope that one will successfully implant, and a pregnancy will result;

Beaumont Hospital first started its IVF fertility treatment a year ago as a satellite of Alexandra Hospital, South Manchester, offering on-the-doorstep treatment;

Until Beaumont Hospital, a privately-run hospital in stately grounds off Chorley Old Road, Bolton, opened its doors to childless couples, IVF was traditionally not that well catered for in Bolton with couples facing twice daily treks to South Manchester for traumatic treatments;

Beaumont caters for patients from all over the North-west from Manchester to Cumbria;

The hospital has two consultant gynaecologists, Mr Phil Harris and Mr Chris Chandler. Mr Harris said: "There is definitely a need for it in Bolton and the surrounding areas. We started consulting in January with treatments beginning in May and we are now building up our patients. It's wonderful news about Lucy -- it is what this is all about."

Beaumont is continuing to run an egg-share scheme wherby women can get free treatment if they donate eggs;

The hospital expects its first IVF twins in February;

Beaumont Hospital operates the service through CARE -- Centres for Assisted Reproduction.